


A Different Kind of Battle

by WakeUpDreaming



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feelings, Gen, Sword Fighting, post botl, pre tlo, teenage angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 12:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WakeUpDreaming/pseuds/WakeUpDreaming
Summary: Percy doesn't know if he likes her, hates her, or wants her to beat him up so he doesn't have to think about it anymore.





	A Different Kind of Battle

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to shortsighteddemigod on tumblr for the prompt "Can you write something between Tbotl and Tlo. Where there's a lot of tension between Percy and Annabeth. And they kept arguing."
> 
>  
> 
> Recommended musical accommpaniment: Freaking Out by Arizona

Percy’s never hated someone this much before. But he also doesn’t think he’s felt this, the other thing, ever before. It’s frustrated and confusing, and he only realizes he’s zoning out when Annabeth pokes him in the arm and says, “Seaweed Brain! Pay attention – if you don’t learn the past tense in Ancient Greek you’ll never be able to read anything.”

“I can read the past tense,” he replies, trying to match Annabeth’s sharp tone. “You’re just being picky.”

“I want you to be speaking correctly,” she replies, “because otherwise nobody will understand you.”

Percy rolls his eyes. “More like you’re just trying to find everything wrong with what I’m doing.”

“It’s my JOB,” she replies, eyes narrowing, “because I’m your teacher.”

“You’re my friend who is teaching me,” Percy replies. “There’s a difference.”

“Is not.”

“Is too!”

“Why are you being so annoying?”

“What, looking in the mirror?”

“No, dummy, I’m looking at you!”

“Better than what I’m stuck looking at!”

Annabeth’s response is a half growl, half sob kind of thing that is almost enough to make Percy apologize. But he doesn’t.

“Find someone else to teach you,” she finally says, her grey eyes boring a hole into him, “better yet, find someone else to be your friend, too.” She slams down the book in front of her, and it’s just before she turns around that Percy catches the hint of tears in her eye.

“Wait, Annabeth –”

“What?!” she yells, turning around. Her eyes are fire, water, and rage, hair swirling around her. “You want to yell at me again?  

Percy’s silent. “I…” He trails off.

“Figures,” Annabeth says, and her laugh is ice water dumped over him, but a kind he can’t shake off.

She stomps away and then disappears under her cap. But that doesn’t hide the fact that he can hear her sobbing.

~

“No way!” Annabeth shrieks, laughing so hard she’s curled up on herself. “No. You didn’t!”

“I did,” Percy says, puffing out his chest. “I managed to super prank the Stolls.”

“I don’t believe you,” Annabeth says, through glee, “I gotta see this.”

On impulse, because that’s how he’s always ever done anything, he grabs Annabeth’s hand and they run toward the Hermes cabin.

“There’s a tree, right up there –”

“Way ahead of you, Jackson.” She grins at him, and his heart skitters a little bit. Annabeth grabs at a branch and pulls herself up into the tree with a swing like a gymnast, and reaches her hand down to pull Percy up next to her. He overestimates the amount of force he would need, though, and ends up barreling right into her.

They haven’t been this close since – since she kissed him.

“Oh,” Annabeth says, eyes wide.

Percy’s not sure what to say, or what to do, so he stays frozen. Unfortunately, so does Annabeth.

He’s waiting for her to make the move, like she did the last time.

She doesn’t.

“So,” she says, scooting out from under him, balancing like a bird on one of the thick branches under him, “inside all of their pillows?”

He shifts so he can see in the window, and there it is. The entire cabin with puffs of shaving cream pouring onto their beds from their pillowcases. “They still can’t get it all cleaned up – I plugged up their sink.”

Annabeth’s laugh is high and joyful, and Percy is suddenly struck with the idea that he’d do anything to keep that laugh coming from her.

It’s also a little bit too loud. The Hermes cabin looks outside the window.

“Uh oh,” Annabeth says.

“We should run.”

“Oh yeah.”

They jump down out of the tree, but Percy doesn’t miss the fact that Annabeth grabs his hand before she puts on the Yankees cap, keeping him invisible to everyone but her.

~

“No – it’s not, that’s – why are we even fighting right now?”!

“You started it!” Annabeth yells back at him.

“You started when you called Rachel an idiot!” Percy replies, throwing his hands in the air. “She saved our butts a bunch of times.”

“Yeah, with a hair brush.” Annabeth rolls her eyebrows, arms crossed in front of her chest.

“What is with you and Rachel? Why do you hate her so much?”

He’s expecting some sort of comeback about Rachel being a mortal, or being rich, or something. Instead, what he gets is Annabeth staring at him, a little blankly. “What?”

“Why do you hate Rachel?”

Annabeth blinks. “I – I don’t hate her.”

“Oh, really?” Percy replies. “Then why do you call her an idiot all the time?”

“I call you an idiot all the time.”

Percy stares at her. “Yeah,” he says, and he tries to get the next words out without them breaking him, “and you hate me.”

Annabeth’s arms fall to her sides. “No, I don’t. I’ve never hated you.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Do people usually kiss people they hate?”

And there it is.

The words hang in the air. Part of Percy was waiting for this, because he’s secretly worried that moment, that one little kiss, was something he’d dreamed up in a coma on Ogygia. But now she’s mentioned it. It was real.

Percy shakes his head slowly. “No. And people usually don’t – uh, don’t kiss back people they hate.”

There’s silence.

“So?” Annabeth says, and she’s standing like she’s ready for battle, one foot in front of the other, ready to fight or run.

But Percy can’t say anything. They stand there, a little frozen, a little confused, a lot stuck, until Percy gets pegged in the back of the head with a soccer ball and face plants into the grass.

He hears Annabeth take off in the opposite direction, and he doesn’t know if he wishes she’d helped him get up or if he’s glad she left.

They don’t talk, other than basic, boring camp stuff, for a long time.

~

He doesn’t know how they ended up here. The only other person he’s ever really let see him cry is his mom. And maybe Grover, once or twice.

But here he is, tears in his eyes as he and Annabeth spar like they’re fighting for their lives. He doesn’t know why they’re there, the tears or him and Annabeth, and the confusion makes him angry and sad all over again. They didn’t even talk – just saw each other walking into the sparring ring with their swords and, without a word, began fighting. Percy gives it his all – not because he wants to beat her, but he wants to be around her as long as he can. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until now.

Eventually Annabeth gets him flat on his back, using a little leg trick he still hasn’t gotten the hang of, and she’s got one knee on his chest and her sword at his throat.

He realizes with a shock that Annabeth’s eyes aren’t exactly clear either.

“You win.” His voice is practically a whisper.

He doesn’t know how long they’re like that for, and he doesn’t want to break whatever’s going on. All he knows is that he misses her, misses everything about her, even the parts that make him want to tear his hair out.

There’s words on his lips that he can’t get out, hovering on the tip of his tongue.

Instead, they’re barreled out of the way by something he wishes he didn’t say.

“You ever beat Luke like this?”

Instantly, she hardens, grey ice blocking out the warmth in her eyes, and she stands up. “Why the heck would you bring up Luke?”

The truth is, Percy doesn’t know. “I – I was just – you’re so good at that leg thing…”

“Oh, so the only way I could be good is if I beat Luke?”

“No!” Percy says. “No, that’s not – wait, don’t leave!”

He runs into the lake and sinks to the bottom when she runs away so fast he can’t catch her, because under the water is the only place he knows he won’t screw things up with her.

**Author's Note:**

> Angsty baby demigods MY HEART


End file.
